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Thursday, March 14, 2013

How I Sent Flowers to My Mom...and Made Money in the Process

When I went to college, I moved 3,000 miles away from my
family.My parents always knew I would
go away to school, so they weren’t surprised when I left sunny
California to attend college on the East Coast.But my extended family felt a little abandoned.Even now, eight years later, they still plead
with me to move back to California.The
long distance is difficult, especially now that my grandparents are getting
older and their health is declining.There
are days when I feel very guilty for having moved so far away and for missing so many family functions as a result of the move.

As much as possible, I’ve sent flowers to female family
members for every major occasion or life occurrence (birthdays, Mother’s Day,
after a surgery).Admittedly, there are
cheaper ways to acknowledge special occasions. Sending flowers is notoriously expensive,
especially around major “Hallmark holidays.”However, it’s one of the ways that I let family members know I’m still thinking
of them despite the distance. Maybe I'm just trying to appease a guilty conscience, but I think it truly makes them happy.One of
my grandmothers – the really frugal one -- always calls to thank/scold me, saying
“You shouldn’t have wasted your money.Too expensive.”But, as soon as
she hangs up with me she calls my mom to brag that she received flowers.

I think this means that I should keep sending
the flowers.

Nonetheless, there’s
a financial implication to this gesture of caring.Spending $50-$70 to send a bouquet of flowers
will definitely add up quickly.Just
recently, I discovered a way to send flowers forfree.

In my day-to-day shopping, I use my credit cards on a
regular basis*.I know that many
personal finance experts would discourage this.However, I pay off the balance in full every month so I don’t see the
harm.Discover is my card of choice because
it has a great cash rewards program**.Last year, I earned over $500 in Discover cash
rewards.Those cash rewards can be
redeemed as a statement credit, direct deposit, or a merchandise card.

My mom recently had a minor medical procedure performed, and I
thought it would be nice to send her some flowers.Here’s how I did it without spending a dime
of my own money.In fact, I actually earned
a few dollars that I can use in the future.
I've even included visual aids so you don't think I'm making this up!

How I Sent Free Flowers:

1. As of March, had a $40.03 balance of available Discover Cashback
(ie, rewards credit), accumulated from earlier purchases on my Discover card.

3. Logged on to www.ShopDiscover.com,
and selected ProFlowers from the retailer list.Noticed that
ProFlowers was offering 20% Discover Cashback for all purchases initiated
through ShopDiscover.Clicked through to
the ProFlowers website.(See below for
more on using ShopDiscover).

4. Selected a cheerful flower arrangement for my mom.It was nothing extravagant, but I thought she
would like it.It was originally $49.99,
but was marked down to $29.99 for an Easter special.
It also included a free vase, which I liked (the last thing I wanted was for my mom to dig around for a vase while she was supposed to be recovering).

5. After shipping/handling and tax, the order total was
$50.24.Redeemed my $50 ProFlowers
merchandise card.This left a balance of
$.24, which I paid with my Discover card.

6. A few days later, received an email from Discover informing
me that I had earned $6.00 of additional rewards credit by using ShopDiscover. Wait...what?!!! Apparently, the 20% rewards credit was
applied to the merchandise total of $29.99 (ie, the cost of the flower arrangement), even though I only paid $.24 on my Discover card.How awesome
is that?!

7. Once my next statement arrives, my Discover rewards balance
should reflect an additional $6.00 earned from using ShopDiscover and ProFlowers.Once I’ve accumulated enough rewards, I can
redeem the rewards and send another free bouquet of flowers...just in time for Mother's Day!

Notes:*I try to pay with cash at mom-and-pop businesses so that the credit card fee doesn’t eat into their profits.

**Discover currently has a three-pronged rewards program. As with all rewards programs, this is subject to change without notice. This is my best understanding of the rewards program:

2.5% Cashback Bonus Program: Earn 5% Cashback on
certain categories of expenses (ie, groceries, travel, home improvement),
according to a rotating rewards calendar.For instance, cardholders earn 5% Cashback on up to $1,500 in restaurant
and movie purchases made from January 1, 2012-March 31, 2013.There is usually a limit to how much Cashback
you can receive through the 5% program.

3.ShopDiscover: Discover calls ShopDiscover its “online shopping
mall.” Discover partners with hundreds of
retailers, all of whom offer 5%-20% Cashback if you access their website
through www.shopdiscover.comand pay
with your Discover card. Typically, the
Cashback percentage only applies to the merchandise total (ie, not taxes or
shipping). It's also only available for online purchases.

Once you accumulate at least $20
in Cashback rewards, there are several ways to redeem your rewards: statement credit,
direct deposit, or merchandise credit.If you choose statement credit or direct deposit, you get the exact
value of your reward.For example, if
you have $50 in reward credit, you can get a $50 statement credit or have $50
deposited into your bank account.I
usually choose the merchandise credit because you get a better bang for your
buck.There are several retailers – such
as ProFlowers and Banana Republic – that will offer a $50 merchandise credit in
exchange for $40 of Discover rewards credit.

*** This post is not sponsored or endorsed by Discover Card is any way.

If you use credit cards, what are some of your favorite rewards programs?

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About Me

I’m a twenty-something newlywed and young professional living outside of New York City.
I’ve always had a hands-on approach to handling my finances: I enjoying thinking about how to save money, how to spend it, and how to prepare for the future. I try to strike a balance between planning for a rainy day and enjoying the present.